Tweaks for System Performance and Fast Internet Usage

Here are four simple tweaks for your PC that will help improve your overall computing and internet browsing experience.
Step 1: Change the IE Concurrent Download Limit - Internet Explorer's default settings only enable you to download up to two downloads at the same time. Optimizing the download settings enables you to download up to 16 files concurrently from the same server.

Method - Open registry editor and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
Right click the right pane and select New->DWORD Value. Type MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server and give it a value of 16. Add another DWORD using the same process - call it MaxConnectionsPerServer with the same value - 16.

Step 2: Disable Windows Indexing Service - The indexing feature consumes system resources, and may adversely affect your system's performance. By disabling the indexing feature, you free up disk space on your computer and may improve its performance.

Method - Goto Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. Find the Indexing Service, right click and select "Disable".

Step 3: Resize your Internet Explorer Cache - The default cache settings of IE are configured to hold a large number of cached temporary Internet files. However, storing many small files on your hard disk consumes valuable disk space and can cause disk fragmentation. Reduce the maximum size of IE cache to 128MB for optimal performance.

Method - Start Internet Explorer, Select Tools -> Internet Options ->General. Under Temporary Internet Files click the Settings button and type the amount of disk space to use.

Step 4: Windows Menu Display Speed - Menus are displayed on your computer according to Windows' default settings. By optimizing these settings, you speed up your computer's ability to display (and hide) these menus.
Method - Goto Start -> Control Panel -> System. Click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button. Clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box, and then click OK. These excellent suggestions are based on a local optimization report generated by a tuneup utility that's available for Dell machines.

Email Etiquette

Good Email Manners - here are some simple yet effective tips for using email more efficiently which I found over the Net..Its really a worth bite on the NET:
1. If you are sending an email to multiple people, put their email addresses in the BCC field and your own email address in the To: field. No one likes to share their private email address with strangers.

2. The email subject should be detailed enough to give the recipient an idea about the email content without having to open it. Single words like “Hi” or “Hello” or “Help” are a strict no-no. Think of meaningful but short titles.

3. Do not attach large attachments in your email since not everyone is on a broadband connection. If you have to send a large file over email, upload it to services like Yousendit and then pass on the link in the email.

4. If you have to email more than two documents as attachments, zip them in one file. Doing so would ensure that your friend won’t miss downloading any file.

5. Do not write an email while you are drunk or in a really bad mood. It would reflect on the style of your writing.

6. Do not request a Read Notification Receipt.

7. Always reply to emails especially the ones specifically addressed to you. The sender is still waiting to hear from you.

8. Keep you email message short and to the point. Sentences like “I hope this email finds you alive and well” look good only in letter correspondence.

9. Do not hit the Send button without doing a spell check. An email with spelling mistakes or grammatical errors indicate that you have written the message in a non-serious mood and may convey a bad impression. Always read the message before broadcasting it to the world.

10. You may want to remove your personal mobile number and the home number from the email signature if you are participating in a big mailing list. You never know the kind of people who have subscribed to that list.

Use Google Effectively - Part 1

1.Calculator

To use Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the calculation you'd like done into the search box and hit the Enter key or click on the Google Search button. The calculator can solve math problems involving basic arithmetic, more complicated math, units of measure and conversions, and physical constants

12*13

(1+i)*(2+i)

sqrt(-4)

2.Conversion

To use our built-in currency converter, simply enter the conversion you'd like done into the Google search box and hit "Enter" or click the Google Search button

1 US dollar in Indian Rupees

4.96 MB in KB

3.Definitions

To see a definition for a word or phrase, simply type the word "define," then a space, and then the word(s) you want defined. If Google has seen a definition for the word or phrase on the Web, it will retrieve that information and display it at the top of your search results.

define big bang

define ubiquitous

4.File Type

If you are serching for a page or document in particular format say pdf instead of normal HTML. To do this just add "filetype:"like filetype:pdf.

Example:form 714 filetype:pdf

balance sheet filetype:xls

5.Local Search

Google enables you to search the entire web for just those stores and businesses in a specific neighborhood. Include a city or zip code in your search and Google displays relevant results from that region on a map with links to reviews, directions, and more information at the top of your search results.

Example:Indian buffet sunnyvale

pizza new york

6.Phone Book

Google has added the convenience of US street address and phone number lookup to the information we provide through our search box. You'll see publicly listed phone numbers and addresses at the top of results pages for searches that contain specific kinds of keywords.
To find listings for a US residence, type any of the following combinations into the Google search box:

• first name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional)


• first name (or first initial), last name, state


• first name (or first initial), last name, area code


• first name (or first initial), last name, zip code phone number, including area code


• last name, city, state last name, zip code
  Example:Hertz,Sunnyvale, california

Desktop Search- Reduce stress to search emails and files

We all used to save the file or mail that is important to us(at that time!!) in some place and wander all over My Computer to find the file. Im many case mark a mail as Flag , follow up place in a folder and atlast mail lost again. It really very hard to serch for a file, song ,mail etc in our desktop and using Windows serch would be another problem. In such situations the Desktop searches would comes real handy..

Desktop searches would index the contents, subject of all the files and mails then and there. A small input box will be available in Desktop to search any file anytime.Now we have lot of options in the market mostly freeware for Deskop searches.. We would discuss the most popular and effective desktop searches here.

Google Desktop Search

Google search for the desktop. Nothing needs to be said beyond those 5 words. An application offering from the company, which put search on the map. Much like the rest of Google’s offerings, this application suite is a polished performer that has a huge no of actually usable features. Apart from your files, it can index your office documents, outlook mails and web surfing history.

This excellent suite apart from its obvious search functionality, also offers a good “widgets” packet. Widgets are little graphical programs, which extend the functionality of your desktop by putting you a click away from commonly needed applications. The thing I like about Google is the double ctrl press and you will get the search box and dropdown. One thing lagging is it will show up all the files containing the text irrespective of MP3 or mail or doc.

Publisher Google Inc.
FileSize 1781 kb
OS Windows (ALL)
Download Google Desktop

Yahoo Desktop Search

Yahoo says it search suite is powered by X1 technologies a well known application that has the capability to index over 370 file formats, Outlook mail, Microsoft Office documents and an excellent display interface.

Another great thing about Yahoo’s suite is its integration into its portal services. Unlike the rather jumbled and often confusing services that their competitors offer, Yahoo’s portal services are well defined and easy to use.

Publisher Yahoo
FileSize 7659.52 kb
OS Windows (ALL)

Download Yahoo Desktop Search

Windows Desktop Search

This great suite like its competitors, can not only index files and office documents, it offers real time completion of names, good integration with the OS ( but naturally) and even allows you to share search index across a network for finding files that do not reside on your PC. This is the same version that has been built into Windows Vista.

Publisher Microsoft
FileSize 4290 kb
OS Windows (ALL)

Download Windows Desktop Search

Copernic Desktop Search

My pick is Copernic for Desktop search..The first thing is to categorizing the searched files as Music, email,videos and docs. It has cool utilities like bookmarking and browser toolbars.While it doesn't search the Internet, Copernic Desktop Search locates all file types on your hard drive and offers a pleasing interface, Fast indexing, easy to install and preview to some files.

Publisher Copernic Inc.
FileSize 4.96 MB
OS Windows (ALL)

Download Copernic Desktop Search

Bored of real life - Try Digital life

Do you get a second chance in real life, I mean if you ever thought like it would be great if I born there or If I can be there or live.Our life is not in our option, mostly. But there is some concept in the web where you can live a second life... like the movie matrix.You will be given a virtual name and virtual continent to live. You can choose your color, style and lifestyle and you can do whatever things you like to do in this virtual world.Sounds weird and you think who likes such a thing? well think again because there is already 7 million people living in this virtual world.

They can roam , dance , love , fight , watch a disco etc, etc.. the cool thing is you can also earn from this virtual life. Each creature you meet in this world is a real person in the world. This world has a money of it own and there is sale for Islands going on . Numerous scientist are popping up inventing , producing and selling their products in money in second life, which you can make it as real dollars in real world. There is some offshoring ideas going around on this space now and second life economy is estimated to be 500 million dollars.Its not surprise that there is also terror threats in the second life.

Apple, Adidas and many stores had already opened up there digital shops here, you can purchase second life and real life products there. There is a virtual exchange called the LindEx which maintains the foreign index of Digital life. Recently there is a U2 concert happened on it and Ohio university opened a campus here.In some sense Second life is trying to surpass the limitation of the web - 2 dimensional. With its 3 dimensional strength second life could be good competitor to WWW itself.

Links:

http://secondlife.com/

 

Do we really Love the 'Symbol of Love' ??

Taj Mahal is chosen as one of the ‘New 7 Wonders’ and it is certainly a thing every Indian should be proud of. This is chosen by people around the world through an Internet poll where more than 100 million people voted. I'm really happy that at last Taj has its honor in the World stage. Now I can say ‘I'm form the Taj country’ and every school children around this globe should read about Taj and India…. Thanks to the Love of Shanjahan and Noorjahan. India get its pride from its core value Love. But the Question is Do we really love this “symbol of Love”.

Today 07.07.07 Taj is announced as one of the wonders but by whom? again by whom Bipasha Basu… 7 wonder guys, don't you know anybody else from India to say aloud to the world about the beauty of my country. Bipasha couldn’t perform well in her acting that she is surprised and to mention she dressed awkward(what to say??)

I have been to Taj during my college days…. Though I donno the feel of love during those days and I admired the look and elegance of this masterpiece. Like everyone I spoiled the moment by taking photos in all angles. One thing that I felt wrong about Taj is the river behind it, its not really a river its a ditch….at that time I felt OK with coovum flowing through chennai…. Guys we are showcasing to the world through Taj but there is a ditch just behind it. And I felt sorry for the foreign couple who enjoyed Taj from that river!!??. (Really it should be an awesome look I missed in so far)

But apart from all our praise and problem we are given to that beauty, Taj will stand there forever to show the world “Love is always there in this wold and it is not dead”